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June 30, 2010

For Donnie Nelson, the call came just in time

The scene must have been one of those priceless moments.
Donnie Nelson was standing in the line to get his ticket to
Germany on an overnight flight. He figured he’d hit the Autobahn early in
the morning and be in Wurzburg to talk to Dirk Nowitzki before noon on
Thursday, which would be about 5 a.m. in Dallas.
Then, his cell phone rings. On the other end is Holger
Geschwindner, calling from Germany. He tells Donnie not to bother jumping on
the flight, that Holger and Dirk are on their way to Dallas. They’ll
catch a flight and be here by Thursday morning or early afternoon to sit down
with Nelson.
“This is a great sign,’’ Nelson said.
That, it is. Nowitzki knows he means the world to the
Mavericks. Earlier today, Nelson said the Maverocks’ whole world would
change if there was no Nowitzki in the picture.
The Mavericks were willing to wine and dine him, if need be.
But that’s not really Nowitzki’s style. He knows that his agreeing
to a new deal with the Mavericks is paramount if the team is to move forward
and make shoot-for-the-moon pitches to other free agents.
So it looks like the superstar and the franchise are on the
same page. Dirk will get his input “as he has on every major
decision,’’ Nelson said.
And starting sometime Thursday evening, the Mavericks should
be able to move forward knowing that Dirk is in the fold for four more years.
If that doesn’t happen, then fans can start to worry.